Celebrate National Hamburger Month with gourmet patties

Megan Lea Buck | mbuck@mrt.com

Published 10:52 am, Tuesday, May 20, 2014

May is National Hamburger Month, likely because for the rest of the country it’s the time of year when the weather is finally warm enough to cook outside. Lucky for us, Texas has a longer grilling season.

“We’re blessed with customers that like to grill year around,” said H-E-B meat market manager Brion Herrman.

In honor of National Hamburger Month, Herrman shared some of H-E-B’s best burger secrets and his own observations of local preferences.

H-E-B meat market sells a variety of fresh premade gourment burger or slider patties such as blue cheese, bacon cheddar, fiesta jalapeno with fresh pico de gallo and slow-melt cheese, garlic pepper encrusted, poblano cheese — similar to the jalapeno but with less of a kick — and the cowboy burger with fully cooked bacon, andouille sausage seasoning and fresh parsley. The gourmet burgers are made with USDA prime ground beef with an 80/20 fat content.

“That has the right balance of fat and meat,” Herrman said. “You don’t have a burger that shrinks up on you.”

Herrman has noticed an increase in sales in organic and grass-fed beef as well as bison, noting customers are making health-conscious decisions even when it comes to burgers.

The store also makes gourmet turkey burgers with bruschetta or cranberry and gorgonzola cheese and fresh salmon and tilapia burgers. So, what do you do after you find the perfect gourmet patty? Herrman shared a recipe for one of his personal favorite burgers.

Garlic Pepper Encrusted Burger

This gourmet patty is made with ground brisket and encrusted with course-ground garlic pepper. The Better Than Bacon Jam is a product the store started carrying after a Texas woman submitted her recipe during a contest hosted by H-E-B. Herrman recommends it on burgers instead of mayonnaise or mustard and also uses it to top steaks or brussel sprouts.

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H-E-B gourmet garlic pepper encrusted burger

Natural jalapeno jack cheese

H-E-B Better Than Bacon Jam

Hamburger bun of your preference

Cook the burgers outside on the grill and top with the cheese and bacon jam. According to Herrman it’s all you need for the perfect burger.